Hi, friends! It’s Elizabeth here, and I am so excited to share Episode 786 of Primal Potential with you today! Primal Potential is a podcast all about you — your ability to change is not defined by yesterday and doesn’t need to wait until tomorrow. Your transformation is now, no matter what stage you find yourself in life!
I’ve learned something interesting about the personal development space. I often meet people — sometimes they’re clients, sometimes they’re other coaches — who feel like they always have to be learning more. And I’ve been guilty of this myself! Those of us who have that drive to grow and improve ourselves are always listening to the most podcasts, attending the most webinars, and reading the most books.
Does that sound like you? No shame if it does! It’s great to try to learn more and more, and in our current technological age, it’s easier than ever to get access to a wealth of information. Sometimes, we even start to feel like we’re wasting time if we’re not learning something new right now at this moment.
But here’s the thing: if you don’t actually implement what you learn, you’re not doing yourself any favors.
I shared an email with my VIP list just a few weeks ago (by the way, if you’d like to be added to that list, you can message me on Instagram, @elizabethbenton, and I’ll happily add you!) that I love to read. And I’ve read so many books, but it’s disheartening to think about how little of what I’ve actually read I’ve implemented in my life.
This year, instead of reading as many books as I can, I’ve decided to pick just four books to focus on throughout the year and consistently implement their tools and strategies throughout my life. I think it’s much better to learn a little and consistently apply it than to learn a lot and not use what you learned!
Here’s what all this is leading up to: this episode is going to be one of maybe two or three that I want you to focus on. You don’t need to keep gathering resources and information to transform your life. You need to learn just a few key ideas and then implement them.
The tool I share with you in this episode is one of those few key ideas you must learn!
So dive in with me as I share the closest thing there is to a shortcut that will help you change your life and live abundantly today. Let’s go!
Here It Is: The Shortcut
I recently received a question for a Q&A episode that I thought was hysterical but also has a really good answer. This person wrote in and said, “I know there’s not a shortcut, but if there was a shortcut, what would it be?”
If there were a shortcut — if there were one tool that could make everything easier — it would be this:
Never, ever, EVER stop.
I have a few specific people in my life who have stopped working toward their goals, and it makes me sad because I know if they had used this tool and refused to stop, they would be in a dramatically different place right now. For example, I have a dear friend who is going through significant financial struggles right now. She has shared with me that she struggles with financial worries several times throughout the day, and sometimes even spends whole days just consumed with worry about her money.
But the reason she continues to struggle with her finances is that she stopped trying to deal with them. She gave up. She stopped trying to get out of debt, and so she still has major financial concerns right now even though she could have gotten out of debt if she had just refused to quit.
It’s a little sad to see that. I hate to see people struggling and feeling discouraged because they stopped working toward whatever goals they have.
But there is good news: You can always start again.
You can decide at any moment to take control and start working toward your goals again. I’m sad to see my friend struggling with her money, but I have hope because she can always stop stopping and pick back up with her effort to try and get out of debt.
Have you stopped working toward any goals in your life? What have you stopped doing? I’m not asking that to shame you or anything, but I want you to think about it. What were you working on in the past that you gave up on, for whatever reason?
Today can be the day you decide to start working again.
Consistency Is Key
It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true — consistency really is key.
No matter what you’re working toward, the only way you’re going to get there is by consistently refusing to stop. It’s not about having any special skills. It’s not about being smarter, wealthier, faster, or better than anybody else. It’s about being persistent even when you want to give up.
Growing up, I often compared myself to my sister. She was an academic and athletic superstar. Her grades were fabulous, and she was the captain of the team for every sport she played. She won all the trophies and got all the awards for being the best of the best.
But me? I was average. My grades were okay. I wasn’t particularly athletic. I was just mediocre across the board — not terrible, but not great either.
And honestly, I would say that’s still true. I don’t have a unique skill set. I have some experience in my job now because I’ve been doing it for several years, but I wouldn’t say I’m naturally gifted at it. I am successful today not because of any particular attribute or skill that I possess, but because I do not quit.
I never give up. I never stop. I refuse to quit. I have worked on Primal Potential seven days a week every week for the last six years because it’s my passion, and I’m not about to stop putting my all into it! And I’m not telling you that you have to work every single day of the week — even I will only work part of the day on Sundays or holidays. It’s okay to cut yourself some slack. It’s just not okay to give up.
And I want you to know that I’ve had setbacks. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve experienced fear and major loss — particularly as I’ve built Primal Potential — but I’ve never stopped. I have never stopped.
Now, does that mean we have to be perfect? Nope. Of course not! I don’t believe that perfection exists, anyway. I think perfection is misery-making because it’s not real, and you’ll never reach it.
But never quitting is not perfection. Never quitting is realistic. Refusing to stop striving and moving forward even in the face of fear, frustration, discouragement, and any setback life can throw at you is something you can do and do consistently.
Ask Better Questions
“Okay,” you may be thinking, “that’s fine, but … how?” Here’s how:
Ask better questions.
Let me explain. Asking better questions is part of how you can think differently and think better. It helps you look for different perspectives and upgrade your mindset.
Say, for example, you’re looking for a shortcut to financial freedom. First of all — don’t stop. Never give up trying to manage your money and get out of debt.
Second of all — start asking questions. Ask yourself where you can cut expenses. Call your cell phone provider and ask how you can reduce your bill. There is nothing wrong with calling, say, Sprint, and saying, “Hey, I really can’t spend more than (X amount) on my cell phone plan, and I want to reduce my bill by $15 a month. What can we do about that? Do you have any promotions? Are there any services I can drop or bundle to get a discount?”
If you can and have that conversation with your cell phone provider, your cable company, and your insurance agent, before you know it, you’ll be saving a couple of hundred dollars a month! And all because you didn’t stop and you started asking better questions.
Let’s walk through another example. Say you want to be healthier and reduce your overall level of stress. First — you know what I’m going to say — don’t stop!
Second — start asking questions. What habits have you adopted that are reducing your stress? What habits do you need to adopt? Go even deeper — what are the things you stress about most? Why do you stress about them?
Are you stressed about getting enough sleep? Okay, well, what could you do about that? Maybe you need to be a better steward of your time throughout the day, so you aren’t catching up on work late. Maybe you need to watch less TV in the evenings. Maybe you need to set an alarm that tells you to start getting the kids ready for bed thirty minutes earlier than usual.
You’ll discover what changes you need to make when you start asking yourself better questions. And when you figure out what you need to do — what changes you need to make or habits you need to adopt — do it. And do it consistently. Refuse to stop, and you will start seeing progress!
Say It: I Don’t Give Up
I want you to say it out loud: I don’t give up.
When you refuse to give up, when you continuously choose not to stop, when you don’t quit even when it’s difficult — that’s when you start to see real results. Whether you’re working on your marriage, weight, stress level, parenting skills, job, business, or anything else, do not give up.
Adopt the words, “I don’t give up” as a sacred mantra, and repeat them a million times a day! Refusing to give up is the best shortcut to results, and you are choosing not to stop and instead to continue striving toward your goals!
If you’d like some extra support, a little more coaching, and accountability, I want you to get on the waitlist for our next 12 Weeks of Transformation! In this program, I work with people in a much more personal and structured way to create change. We tackle our excuses head-on and find the core values that will motivate you to take action. If you’re not sure what to do next, I encourage you to check out 12 Weeks to Transformation and get on that waitlist!
Join NowI’d also love to connect with you via text! I send out text messages with my daily mindset upgrades and daily encouragement. I know they will encourage you and empower you on your journey!
Thanks, everyone! I’m so glad you chose to join me today. Now get out there and use your time to create the life you want to live!
Elizabeth Benton